One of the key functions of design is communication. When it comes to designing your brand, you must pick the colors carefully. The colors you choose to represent your business must convey the values you wish to impart to your target market. For instance, when we look at blue, we think of trust. Or it could be because we are used to seeing trustworthy brands with blue logos and now our brain is associated with that. Similarly, green is associated with growth, red is associated with passion and excitement, yellow is associated with warmth and happiness, although exceptions exist. 

The color purple

In our culture, the color purple has a long history. Roman togas and royal insignias frequently had this tint. Purple has long been regarded as a symbol of royalty, and Egyptian statues and paintings are examples of purple in ancient art. In fact, purple is thought to have been the color of ancient royalty. As a result, throughout history, this color has stood for nobility, money, and power. Our current understanding of things hasn't really changed.

Here are some common themes that are associated with the color purple.

Luxury and royalty

You might remember from history lessons that purple is a royal color. Purple dye, which was once incredibly rare and expensive, was only accessible to royalty and the wealthiest people. Known as Tyrian purple dye, the dye rose in value to surpass its gold equivalent. Due to the scarcity of purple dye, the hue became linked with the affluent and powerful. Emperors, monarchs, and queens swiftly chose purple as the color of nobility.

Purple togas were only acceptable to Roman emperors. With permission, those of lower rank could wear purple stripes. Wearing or even selling purple dye was a capital offense during Nero's rule. Queen Elizabeth I later forbade anyone but close royal family members from donning it.

Brands that use purple to showcase luxury and royalty include Cadbury, Willy Wonka Candy Company (presently Nestle Candy Shop), Hallmark, and Milka to name a few. Most of these brands use a deep purple logo or a backdrop of deep purple. Consumer technology companies like BENQ, AVID, Yahoo and others also use purple brand logos. 
‍

Femininity

The color purple continues to conjure images of fairies, magicians, and princesses. Purple is also seen in butterflies and flowers. These connotations give purple a feminine aura. It is a color that is utilized by goods and brands that cater to girls and women. Purple is a great alternative to pink, which is often overused. Numerous well-known brands market to women using this color. 

For example, the jewelry brand Claire caters to Girls in their tweens and teens. Babies-R-Us primarily serves new mothers, while Curves is a gym for women only. Purple is a wise option for Hallmark because 80% of greeting card sales are made by women (who also use the association with royalty by having a crown in their logo). Scentsy is a multilevel marketing firm with headquarters in Idaho that sells warmers made of wax and fragrant goods. Since the products are classic luxury niche items with elegance directed at ladies, the complete logo unit is purple.
‍

Spirituality

Purple also stands for spirituality and wisdom. Its rarity and mystique may give it the impression that it is related to the unknowable, divine, and supernatural.

Purple comes in a variety of spiritual interpretations. Darker purples can signify grief and resentment, whereas light purples are connected to jovial, romantic energies. Purple has a negative connotation with death and grief in several parts of Europe.

A manufacturer of luxury goods, Asprey International is situated in London and produces items including clocks, jewelry, leather goods, and silverware. The company has been around for over 231 years. The logo is purple and features a highly upscale, royal typeface. The US TV station SyFy, which is owned by NBC Universal and features fantasy, supernatural and paranormal, horror, and science fiction-related material. They also have a purple logo. KaBloom is a flower festival that has been held in Tesselaar, the Netherlands, for the past 70 years. It has some of the best flowers, including begonias, foxgloves, zinnias, delphiniums, snapdragons, and dahlias. Purple or lavender has been used as Ka Bloom's branding and theme color.
‍

Creativity and wisdom

Purple is near the very edge of the visible spectrum, and it is also thought to exist there as well.

Due to its rarity in nature, purple is linked to numerous concepts associated with the hue, like inventiveness and wild imagination. Purple is a symbol for unconventional thought, free association, and the surreal. Even back in 2018, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultraviolet was chosen as the color of the year, since purple encourages creativity.

The branding of the Massachusetts-based global employment service Monster is simple, written in lowercase, and purple in color. Here, purple is a symbol for brilliance, knowledge, imagination, and a venerable institution. A private university based in New York, NYU has purple and yellow in its old logo, while the new logo uses a flat purple color. Yellow is one of the colors that go with purple. 

The DTP publishing and typesetting software InDesign created by Adobe Systems, also has a purple logo. The purple color in the InDesign logo is the same shade of purple as in the fascia plants. The logo has a special feminine character with originality, elegance, and grandeur thanks to this color. Similarly, Microsoft OneNote also has a purple icon. he usage of the logo's two different, deep purple hues—one lighter and the other darker—gives it a decidedly tech-savvy look. The background color is lighter and depicts a journal cover with the page index noted, while the foreground color has N printed in the middle and is darker. Instantaneously, the logo conjures up images of a digital notebook for taking notes.

Courage

The Purple Heart is one of the highest awards for valor in military service in the United States. George Washington developed the prize in 1782 to be given to soldiers who had performed honorable deeds. It was originally known as the Badge of Military Merit. The hue stands for boldness and courage. Hence, it is commonly used in the logos of multiple sports teams. 

Examples include the 1968-founded Phoenix Suns of the NBA basketball league, which is situated in Arizona. Los Angeles Lakers also use purple. The Lakers' complete name is written in purple at the front of an actual basketball with an orange background. The ACF Fiorentina soccer team from Italy is affectionately referred to as La Viola or Viola (The purple one/purple). The red fleur de lis that serves as Florence's emblem has served as the club's primary design element for its logo since its establishment. Incorporated for the first time in 1974 was the color purple.

Wrap up

Do you think purple will be a good inclusion in your logo? Designing a logo often needs input from multiple people. To get started with collaborative design, a proper creative collaboration and brand asset management software with tools like an online color picker becomes necessary. If you are getting started with designing for your brand, then have a look at Artwork Flow.